5 Biggest Beauty Lessons I Learned in France

Fact: French women take skin care seriously. So one of my favorite parts of my trip was visiting a French "pharmacie," stocked with brands like Nuxe, Embryolisse, Avene, Bioderma, and La Roche-Posay. Unlike in America, where we have the tendency to over-cleanse and scrub our faces until they're raw in an effort to get clearer skin, the French take a gentler approach. They tend to prefer cleansing with micellar water and using gentle, fragrance-free moisturizers. I quickly adopted this less-is-more philosophy with the goodies I bought, including the cult favorites Bioderma Sensibio H2O, $14.90, and Embryolisse Lait-Creme Concentre, $16. Of course, I made sure to follow up with SPF (another French girl must-have) every morning. I didn't experience one breakout during my travels, even though I got my period, so I'd say the French have got it right when it comes to skin care.

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